U14 Boys - Basingstoke 55 Hungerford 12, by Ben Rees
U14s welcomed Hungerford RFC to Down Grange for the return fixture of the Alencon-Liqueil trophy. With Stoke being the current holders of the trophy and with home pride at stake, there was a lot to play for in this friendly/competitve fixture.
Tricky conditions saw a number of early handling errors as both sides wrestled for ascendency at the breakdown. The breakthrough came as Stoke ran a well worked penalty move and shipped the ball through hands to open the scoring with a fine try in the corner. With confidence growing and the boys adapting well to the conditions the back line was really ticking and the boys went in at half time with a three try cushion.
The second half saw Stoke keep their foot on the gas. Sustained pressure at the breakdown and some great blitz defence in the backs forced a number of turnovers that the boys converted into points. In a day where everything was ticking for Stoke Hungerford stuck at it and were well rewarded with a couple of tries of their own. A great allround performance by the home side with 7 different try scorers showing how well the boys played as a team today. A well earned win and the trophy stays with us until we meet Hungerford again next season.
U15 Boys - Petersfield 58 Basingstoke 14, by Julie Jones
Basingstoke U15 travelled to Petersfielld this Sunday, taking on the East Hampshire side in a friendly. This is a team two divisions above us and the lads gave everything in difficult conditions. The score line didn’t reflect the game with a lot of their tries coming from handling errors and every player put in maximum effort with the wind against us. Fantastic discipline, physical game played in the right spirit and lots of praise from the opposition coaches about our team mindset and attitude. Well done boys!
U16 Boys - Basingstoke 29 Hungerford 5
The U16s hosted Hungerford this Sunday, coming out on top in a 29-5 win! After what was a difficult start to the season, it has been a show of real resilience for the boys - the team have clubbed together, grown in numbers and developed week on week. Their hard work is coming to fruition, with this win the least the side deserved!
